Sweet Family
by Elenhin
Summary: How will Vin manage in a world that no longer has Twinkies in it? What will this tragedy mean for team seven? Luckily when even huge snack companies let you down, you can always count on family. One-Shot, crossover with McKenna.


**Author's Note: **This is a one shot with the Magnificent Seven and crossover with McKenna. The Day The Twinkie died. How will Vin survive in a world without Twinkies? Luckily he has family. Credit due to Vinsmouse for a few items, such as the basic idea, and certain objects in Chris' office…

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magnificent Seven, I do not make any money on this. If I did, I would be working my way towards owning them… No harm will ever come to them in my care, that not some of Nathan's skunk juice can't fix….

* * *

_**Sweet Family**_

Chris entered the office section of team seven, noting the smell of fresh made coffee in the air. It smelled like coffee, but he knew that drinking it might not be very satisfactory. The only one there this early would be Vin, and normally the coffee he made was strong enough to take out half the crime world in Denver, if you could just build a criminal fighting weapon out of it. Lately though, just the last week, the potency of the coffee had varied. The loss of Twinkies and Ding Dongs had affected Vin deeply. He'd complained that nothing was the same anymore, and that there was no reason to go on like before. He wasn't exactly suicidal, but he was most certainly depressed.

Buck and JD had done their best to cheer him up, even to the point of JD finding one last Twinkie in the farthest corner of his junk drawer. Firmly tangled in some computer wire, and the remains of some silly putty previously belonging to Buck. It had served the purpose of allowing the sharpshooter to know life would go on, maybe not the same way, but it would go on.

Then he'd have a brief spout of panic that included stockpiling Little Debbie, which he claimed wasn't the same, but at least it was better than nothing. He had one stash in the break room, one stash in his apartment and one at the ranch. All to make sure he wouldn't be completely without. The others knew better than to even consider taking any of these.

Chris had made a point out of checking on him, and Vin would give him an embarrassed smile. Now however after a brief greeting he hurried to his office, hoping for good news. On occasion he'd been in contact with Vin's twin brother, Brick McKenna. A decent kid if a little too wild, even counting his standard. He was used to wild cards, but this one was really unpredictable, a brainless dare devil and loyal to a fault. He cared deeply for Vin, and that was the thing that was most important to Chris.

The message light on his machine flashed and he hit the button even before he set about to make his coffee. There was something to be said for your own private stash of not-thick-as-mud coffee.

Listening to the message he heaved a sigh of relief, then proceeded to make his coffee before anyone else came and the secret was out.

The others arrived one by one, Ezra coming right to his office. Apparently Twinkies were now sold for several thousand dollars a box, and the conman was willing to put a bid on one if Chris agreed it would be a good idea.

"No Ez, Vin'd love a last box, but not at that price. That's just someone making money on the misfortune of others, he couldn't enjoy that."

"Regretfully, that's probably true. It was however a thought worth entertaining," Ezra stated.

"A very generous one," Chris acknowledged. "You'd better be careful Ez, someone might think you're actually developing a heart," he added teasingly.

"What a base suggestion," Ezra looked down his nose. "It's nothing of the kind, but a man in my position can see the advantage of having the sniper feel he owe you one, so to say."

"You just keep telling yourself that," Chris chuckled. "Anyway, all's not lost yet. Lots of people putting them up for sale to make a fortune, but there's still a few honest men left."

"I shouldn't be caught holding my breath," Ezra snorted. "And now, if you have no further use of me, I shall see to my report."

"You do that, Ez," Chris nodded. He hadn't wanted to go into any details. Brick's message had been hopeful, but it was sometimes hard to tell with Brick. All he really said was that he had good news, what that meant, well, it might just be he had found a lost Ding Dong somewhere in his Mustang. The kid didn't eat as much junk food as Vin did, but he had eating habits that still gave Nathan fits. He always had a stash of pop tarts in his car for times when he didn't make it home for the night, or just wanted something to eat. Now, Chris was a firm believer in the fact that you can't grow up without eating un-toasted toaster tarts, but Brick sort of crossed the line when he kept them as handy meals on wheels.

The kid was crazy, but just like with Vin it was a good kind of crazy. He just had a way of appearing many years younger than Vin in some ways, and just as old in others, and this for one thing made him very unpredictable.

Still, if he had found a lost snack cake in the trunk of his car, Vin would still be thrilled to receive it, and would devour it without the slightest hint of hesitation.

By the time they got back from lunch Chris found that a box had been delivered to his office while they were away. Grinning to himself he checked the label, then lifted it up, slightly surprised over the weight as he carried it out into the bullpen.

"Hey Cowboy, got yerself another secret admirer?" Vin grinned.

"Nope, this one is yours, and he's not really so secret anymore," Chris grinned. "It's from Brick."

"Brick?" Vin frowned, tilting his chair back. "That kid don't usually go around sending gifts for no reason , an' he ain't got one that I know off. Ain't no birthday, neither his nor mine, an' I reckon I'd know if we'd been heading for Christmas a month early…"

"He called and asked how you were doing," Chris admitted. "Last Saturday, you know he always calls the ranch then, since he figures the rest of you are all freeloading then, as you usually are," he added teasingly though with no venom in his voice.

"Chatty kid," Vin grinned. It wasn't that Brick called all that often, but he was a lot more talkative and outgoing than his brother, which meant he was usually in touch about once every month. Sometimes a little more often depending on what was going on. Sometimes he called on behalf of Rose and Harry, his niece and nephew who were still thrilled to find they were related to a whole team of ATF agents.

"Good kid," Chris grinned. "I think he took the loss of Twinkies nearly as hard as you did. Anyway, I told him how crazy it got here, people just about storming the stores to see if they could get the last few boxes. He said it was the same there, but he thought he knew a couple of out of the way places where there might still be some left."

"He got Twinkies?" Vin suddenly sat bolt upright. "If he got Twinkies and didn't share, I'll kill him. I don't care if he's my brother, I'll shoot him…"

"Vin, he sent you a box," Buck threw a wad of paper at the sharpshooter. "I don't think he'd send you a box if he had kept them all to himself."

"Good point," Josiah laughed, Vin had thrown himself at the box, tearing into it with teeth and nails instead of just cutting open the tape.

Shipping peanuts went flying all over the office as Vin dug into the box, hauling out four boxes of Twinkies and one of Ding Dongs. He briefly hugged the boxes, then looked around himself in a slightly paranoid way, trying to make himself let go of the boxes.

"They will be safe here Vin," Chris assured him. "No one here will let anyone take them, and remember, we all have guns."

"Yeah," Vin forced himself to let go of the boxes, and while keeping an eye on them continued searching through the box. He uncovered a few more snack cakes, still in their protective plastic covering but without boxes, and finally he turned the box upside down to shake it out. More packing peanuts drifted out to simulate snow drifts, and a hand scribbled note fluttered down to be caught up by JD.

"He says he found them at an old country store by one of the back roads," he read. "And apologizes for leaving a couple, but there were kids there too, and he didn't feel like taking them all, and besides he says he couldn't either way cause he was broke."

"Sounds like Brick alright," Buck laughed. The family business never paid all that well. They could live comfortably, but there was never much over and Brick wasn't that good to hang on to even what there was. Between his car and being young he was often broke.

"Eh, the lose ones he said he found in their pantry, though he left a couple for Rose and Harry, apologizing again," JD grinned, knowing that Vin wouldn't begrudge the kids that. "Actually, they all belonged to Rose and Harry, but they figured they owed you for those ATF caps you got them, so they gave them up willingly provided they got some other candy. Brick says he'll take care of that when he gets some more money."

"Reckon I can do something too," Vin mused, caressing the white wrapped cake in his hand in a manner that made JD hear the voice of Gollum in his head.

_'My precioussssss, my one. My loooooove. Precioussssssss.'_

"Very generous kids," Josiah agreed. "Well, how about sending them a couple of boxes of Little Debbie?"

"Good idea," Chris stated. "What do you say Vin?"

"Sure, great idea," he beamed, still caressing the cake and JD heard that voice again…

_'Preciousssssss…'_

"Anyway, he says some of them might not be too fresh, cause he found some in the trunk of his car. Had bought a box and forgotten about it. He figures they'd still be good though, so he sent them on."

"Oh no," Nathan groaned.

"Sounds like Brick," Buck laughed.

"Twinkies lives forever," Vin stated. "You can't kill em,' even if you try they just come back stronger."

"Probably true," Chris laughed. "At least you've got a very nice brother."

Vin nodded, "reckon I'll be trying to find him something nice for Christmas."

"Reckon you will partner," Chris nodded, deciding it was best to leave the sharpshooter alone. He'd want a few minutes to himself before he indulged in one of the cakes, making the most of them.

**_The End_**

_A/N: The day the Twinkie died was a sad day for all of those of us who treasure our Twinkies and our Ding Dongs. Moral says it's wrong to profit from this, but honoring what was lost with a story is good. And see Vinsmouse, I did write the story, wasn't I good? ;) _


End file.
